Once Upon a Christmas
by Roxannaaaax
Summary: Pre-S2E8. A little festive Christmas one-shot for our two favourite characters! Decorating, ice-skating, snowballs and hot chocolate, anything can happen in a 1982 Christmas…GALEX.


**A/N: Hellooooo! Hope you like my Christmas one-shot :D I own nothing, I don't own Ashes to Ashes or the characters or the Christmas hymns or the poem – but I do own my plot :D happy days!!**

"_Deck the halls with boughs of holly,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
Tis the season to be jolly,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la."_

The radio was blasting out the week before Christmas at CID. It was everyone's last couple of days in the office and the spirit of Christmas was in the air as they had wrapped up their last case. Now everyone's priority was decorating the office at CID.

Ray was sneakily putting mistletoe everywhere possible in aid of trying to get himself a few quickies with the female junior offices, Chris was all tangled up with tinsel looking like he was trying to decorate himself and Shaz was pinning up the Christmas cards. Alex was tiptoeing on a stool, putting the finishing touches to the Christmas Tree and the other detectives were helping out in various ways. Gene Hunt himself was marching about the office telling everyone what to do, feeling important.

There was light chatter and a generally merry atmosphere for one of the first times since Alex had arrived in this world. She smiled happily, trying to reach the top of the tree to arrange the angel in Molly's favourite way.

"You all right up there, Bolls?" Gene chuckled as he approached her hopping desperately to reach the top.

"Just fine, Guv," Alex beamed, still trying but failing with the angel, "do you think you could...?"

"The Gene Genie doesn't fanny about wi' angels, Bollykecks," Gene snorted, "besides, I'm quite enjoying the view."

"I knew you'd be staring at my arse," Alex tutted good-naturedly, making a braver leap. The stool toppled and Alex gave a small shriek as she lost her balance. Acting instinctively, Gene leapt forwards and caught her in his arms, stumbling a little as he too nearly lost his balance.

"Bleedin' hell, Bolls, you wanna top yourself at least wait until _after _Christmas," Gene smirked, looking down at her in his arms, "don't need no paperwork on suicides over the holidays now, do I?"

Alex laughed as Gene lowered her feet to the floor. "I'll bare that in mind," she smiled seductively, touching his arm lightly before walking towards her desk.

Gene blushed slightly, annoyed at himself for being so affected by this mental, infuriating, sexy woman.

"You all right, Guv?" Chris asked. "Yer look a bit flushed."

"It's bloody boiling, Christopher, all right?" Gene barked defensively.

"But it's winter…"

"Shut your trap, and unless you want a voice like a chipmunk, I suggest you go back ter decorating yerself, got it?"

"Yes Guv," Chris nodded, trying and failing to remove the tinsel.

Alex laughed as she went to fetch a higher stool to attend the tree. "Excuse me, Ray."

Ray turned around, noticing he was blocking Alex's way and then his face lit up.

"Sure Ma'am, might wanna look up though," he said in a sing-song voice, gesturing towards the hinge in the door. Alex looked at what Ray was pointing at and noticed a sprig of mistletoe. She looked back down quick enough to see Ray's greedy lips heading towards hers and promptly placed the Christmas angel she was holding in front of her mouth.

Laughing lightly as Ray jumped back in confusion at kissing a doll, Alex gave him a brief hug. "Merry Christmas, Ray," she smiled.

"Cheeky tart," Ray muttered, smiling back.

It seemed that everything was going perfectly in CID. Gene looked on happily, feeling that nothing could spoil his mood – but then Viv came in with a card for Alex.

"Just arrived for you, Ma'am," Viv explained, handing it to her.

"Thanks Viv," Alex nodded, confused. Leaning against her desk, Alex opened the card. She recognised the writing instantly; after all, she grew up learning how to forge it when she wanted to skip PE at school.

_At Christmas time I think of all the gifts  
That bring me great delight and sweet surprise,  
But nothing in this world can bring such joy  
As you do, when you look into my eyes._

With you it's Christmas all the time, sweetheart.  
I treasure every hour and every minute.  
Your love is all I'll ever want because,  
My life is so fulfilling with you in it.

_Merry Christmas, Alex. All my love,_

_Evan x_

Alex closed her eyes in torment. For months now Evan had been pursuing her, and the fact that he was her godfather was starting to disturb her, although he was completely oblivious to this fact.

Then, before she could hide the card, Gene had appeared over her shoulder.

"It's nothing, Gene..." Alex said hastily.

Gene snorted. "Goin' ter spend Christmas wi' lover-boy then, Drake?" he said coldly.

"No," Alex snapped.

"Right ladies," Gene addressed his team, "_I _am goin' for a _walk_. Fresh air an' all that. Lady Bolls will oversee the decorating."

"Gene," Alex said desperately, sensing his jealousy as he stomped off, "oh you absolutely infuriating man!"

----

An hour later CID was perfectly festive and beautifully decorated. When Gene had still not made his reappearance, Alex, Chris and Ray all wrapped up warm and went to look for him. The streets of London were covered in sparkling blankets of pure white snow and little snowflakes were beginning to fall from the sky. Spotting Gene wasn't hard – he was sitting on a snow-covered bench by the completely iced-over lake, watching families and friends laughing and ice-skating happily.

"Ooh, I haven't been ice-skating in ages!" Alex squealed excitedly, eying the stand where a man was hiring out skates. She skipped over to Gene. "Come on, Gene, let's go ice-skating!"

"Why don't yer go with _Evan_?" Gene sneered moodily.

Alex frowned. "Because I'd much rather have fun with you," she said quietly.

Gene looked up with a smirk as he revised the connotations of her last statement. "You want me ter dance around like a poofter on bloody frozen water? Not happening, Bolls."

"Oh come on," Alex teased him, "not scared of a bit of ice, are you, Guv?"

"Scared?" Gene scoffed. "Gene Genie's not scared of anything. Just don't fancy showing all that lot up with my amazing pirouettes and jetes across the lake."

Alex laughed out loud and the corners of Gene's mouth twitched. "Come on, Gene, I bet you couldn't last five minutes on the ice without falling over."

Gene stood up, amused. "Oh and I suppose you could, Lady Bolls? Ice-skating champion now are we?"

"Three Gold medals by the age of sixteen," Alex said smugly.

"Well then Bolly, the bet's on!" Gene grinned at her as they walked over to hire out the skates.

"We'll er, watch!" Ray nodded desperately.

"Yeah, y'know, keep score, like," Chris smiled in a self-satisfied fashion.

"Oh I don't think so, Raymondo, Wonder Chris," Gene cackled, "c'mere and get yer skates!"

"Bollocks," Ray muttered, mortified.

Gene fished out a fiver to pay for his and Alex's skates and then glared at Chris and Ray as they expected him to pay for theirs too. Tutting, Ray elbowed Chris and they hired their own, looking around and hoping no-one they knew was about.

Finally, they were ready to go on the ice. Alex skated on effortlessly, doing beautifully smooth turns and a full lap of the lake before the boys had even got on the ice.

Alex gave a sunny laugh. "Come on, guys! Just put one foot in front of the other…like this…one two three…one two three…"

Ray was the first to venture. Stepping one skate onto the ice he let out a girlish scream and skidded forwards, landing on his bum. Chris fell about laughing and was then pushed onto the ice by Gene as a punishment, resulting in falling over himself.

Alex giggled lightly as Chris and Ray made their way across the icy lake, falling over every two skates and pushing each other violently. "Come on, Gene," she smiled, offering Gene her hand, "I'll help you."

"Help," Gene muttered, "the Gene Genie does not need _help_." But he had to admit, holding hands with Bolly and skating around the lake was very tempting. Finally, he jerked his hand out awkwardly and Alex clutched it, her cold fingers sending electricity through his body.

Gene wobbled as he placed both skates on the ice, clinging to Alex for support. One hand round her waist and the other round her stomach, Alex blushed as she held on tight to him.

"And one two three…one two three…one two three…" Alex guided him as they skated slowly.

"One two three…one two three…one two three…" Gene muttered, finding the rhythm, "hey Bolls, I think I've got it!"

"You doing really well," Alex beamed, impressed, "now for those pirouettes…"

"Piss off," Gene laughed.

It was as if they were the only two people skating on the lake. The moment was perfect, but then –

"SHIT, GUV, CAN'T STOP!"

Alex turned her head to see Chris hurtling towards them, legs flying uncontrollably as he skidded desperately across the ice. Alex saw what was coming before it happened as Chris smacked into Gene, sending the three of them flying.

Chris fell forwards and skidded over to the side, managing to get under the feet of Ray as well and end up in a heap. Alex and Gene let out yelps as they toppled the floor, Gene landed painfully on his bum with Alex on top of him on the ice.

"Well Bolls," Gene smirked, "when I imagined you on top o' me, this wasn't quite the situation I had in mind!"

Alex laughed, lighting up her face as Gene joined in, his hand resting on the back of her thigh. As Alex felt it begin to snake upwards, she scrambled to her feet. "Come on, Gene, let's get up. And by the way, I won our bet!"

"Won?" Gene guffawed as Alex helped him to his feet, skidding slightly, "Wonder Chris pushed me! I demand a re-match!"

Alex chuckled. "Fair's fair," she teased him, "you lasted three or four minutes on the ice, Gene Hunt, so I believe I won!"

"Cheeky," Gene grinned at her, "okay, we need another wager."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "And what'll that be?"

"Give me time ter think, woman. In the mean time, you can 'elp me skate some more. One two three…one two three…"

----

An hour later when they'd handed their skates back in and had collapsed on the snowy bench with Chris and Ray, Alex found out what Gene's bet was.

"Alex Drake, 'ow are you at snowball fights?" he winked challengingly.

Alex raised her eyebrows. She had the worst aim in history. "Teams," she decided, "I want Ray."

"Fine, but just so yer know, he throws like a girl."

"Guv, I do not!" Ray gasped indignantly as Alex laughed.

"Right Wonder Chris, you better be better at snowball fights than you are at ice-skating," Gene warned him as the four of them marched over to the field where numerous people were already throwing snowballs.

"Every hit's a point," Alex decided, "one snowball-maker and one thrower."

"Right, Chris and Ray, you're making 'em," Gene ordered, taking this very seriously, "this one's between me and DI Bollyknickers."

"Bring it on, Guv," Alex giggled. She and Ray walked about seven meters away from Chris and Gene and Ray began to gather up the snow; Chris likewise.

"On yer marks," Gene growled.

"Get set," Alex matched him.

"GO!"

There was a frenzy of pure white powder being thrown. Gene was the master at collecting up the snowballs and had killer aim – hitting Alex right on the leg and then lightly in the chest.

"Double points for that!" Gene laughed in a self-satisfied manner as Alex complained loudly, hugging her chest.

"Come on, Ray, give me better snowballs!" Alex panicked as she turned round to face him, annoyed that she had managed to hit the thin air one foot either side of Gene when he had hit her four times.

"You bloody do it then!" Ray barked back.

"Ray, I'm the snowball _thrower_, you're the snowball _maker_," she hissed at him, bending down to collect another snowball. Suddenly she felt a sharp thud on her backside. "Ow! GENE!"

"Triple points!" she heard Gene cackle, turning round to find Gene and Chris doing some sort of celebration dance.

"The game's not over yet, Hunt!" Alex yelled as she throw her snowball, earning her first hit smack in Gene's face.

"Cheeky tart!" Gene gasped, wiping the snow from his face. "You're goin' ter pay for that one, Bolly!"

----

The sun was setting on the beautiful image of a Winter Wonderland London. Alex had invited Gene back to her flat for a quick mug of hot chocolate away from the boys down at Luigi's, and they were both sitting comfortably on her sofa with a small distance between them.

"I 'ave to 'and it to yer, Bolls," Gene said, chuckling as swallowing a large gulp of hot chocolate, "you're quite the little ice-skater."

Alex smiled. "Thank you."

"Crap at throwin' snowballs, but good at ice-skating."

Alex laughed. "Shut up. It was one all, so nobody's better."

"Well, I'm the better snowball thrower," Gene teased her.

"Well, I'm the better ice-skater," Alex threw back with a smile. Gene chuckled. She really did give as good as she got.

"Any chance of a decider?" Gene asked lightly.

"No way, because if I won, it would then become best out of five and it would never end!" Alex laughed. Gene smirked.

"You know me too well, Bolly."

There was a brief silence as Alex and Gene finished the remains of their hot chocolate. Absent-mindedly, Gene eyed her Christmas cards. They were mostly from the boys at CID, with one from Shaz and a few from the junior female officers. There was also one from Luigi. Gene was pleased to see his had the most important place of central on her mantelpiece but he couldn't see the one he was looking for.

"Where's that twat's card, then?"

"Who?"

"Y'know. _Evan_."

Alex smirked. "Dunno. Might have left it at CID."

Gene turned round to look at her. She was smiling at him with that same seduction when he caught her fall earlier. She had also itched closer to him on the sofa.

"So, you and Evan…"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Gene's face split into an involuntary Cheshire Cat grin.

Alex giggled. "What are you so smiley about?"

Gene grinned. "Nothin'. Just…"

Gene leant forwards and tenderly placed a loving kiss on Alex's lips. "Merry Christmas, Bolls."

Alex's smile widened as she kissed him back. "Merry Christmas, Gene."

**A/N2: N'aaaawww I love Galex!! :D thanks for reading, please review :D and Merry Christmas to all :D x**


End file.
